The present invention relates to the field of speech processing technology. The present invention also relates to the field of indexing and aligning of audio and text using speech recognition.
During business meetings, one or more people are usually present for the sole purpose of writing or otherwise collecting the points discussed during the meeting. The ability of that person to record minutes and the highlights of key points of the meeting for future reference and use is a skill that is in high demand. This is because the person summarizing the meeting is often not an active participant of the meeting, and must be able to ascertain the important points discussed in the meeting from those points that are less valuable.
Today, technology enables people to meet in the same locale, as well as remotely from virtually anywhere across the globe and space. In spite of today""s technology enabled meeting attendance, the process of capturing information discussed or otherwise presented in the meeting is not easily performed by the active participant of the meeting due to their recourses being expended by communicating rather than by collecting notes on what is communicated.
It is therefore evident that there is a need for an improved means of capturing the spoken or recorded verbal proceedings of a meeting, processing such captured data, analyzing and identifying the important highlights of the meeting, and returning the results of the analysis to the participants of the meeting and other interested parties in a suitable format.
It is an object of the present invention to meet the above-described needs and others. Specifically, an object of the present invention is a method for providing electronically collected and summarized meeting information. First, verbal sounds are electronically collected. The verbal sounds can be words spoken while they are being electronically collected, or words that are prerecorded and then replayed for electronic collection. The collector for electronically collecting the verbal sounds includes a microphone or other audio input including wireless signals.
The verbal sounds are transmitted to a processor. The processor automatically converts the verbal sounds, as collected, into an electronic text file. The text from the file is then automatically scanned and summarized, in accordance with a predetermined algorithm for identifying one or more key terms in the text file, into an electronic summary file. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the converting, scanning and summarizing steps are performed during the step of electronically collecting verbal sounds.
Supplemental verbal or nonverbal data, including text, pictures, or other media files, can be combined with the summary file or the text file. After any supplemental data is added to the files, the text file and/or the summary file are then automatically and electronically distributed to a predetermined number of users.
The method further includes the step of electronically indexing and archiving the summary file and the text file on a network server. But first, the electronic text file is wirelessly or otherwise transmitted from the processor to the network server that performs the automatic scanning and summarizing steps. The electronically indexed and archived summary and text files are then stored on the network server in a searchable database. During the process of indexing and archiving and storing, the summary and text files are protected by way of a password or other user identification system, selectively preventing access to the files. Once stored and then accessed by a permitted user, the summary and text files can be searched using an electronic searching system. Searching is an electronic process where keywords provided by the user are identified if present, and a search result identifying the location of the keywords in the files is electronically distributed to the user as a search result.
The present invention also includes an apparatus for performing the above method. The apparatus includes a collector for electronically collecting verbal sounds.
A processor is also provided, which automatically converts the verbal sounds, as collected, into an electronic text file. A wireless transmitter can be provided for transmitting the electronic text file from the processor to a network server/processor.
The network server/processor includes software for automatically scanning and summarizing the text, in accordance with a predetermined algorithm for identifying one or more key terms in the text file, into an electronic summary file. The network server further includes software for electronically indexing and archiving the summary file and the text file. The network server also has integrated software for electronically selectively preventing access to the summary file and/or text file. The electronically indexed and archived summary and text files are stored on a searchable database, and the network server further includes software for scanning the summary file and/or text file using keywords provided by a user, and electronically distributing a result of the search to the user.
A distributor automatically and electronically distributes the electronic summary file and/or the text file to a predetermined number of users.
The processor and network server can respectively convert, and scan and summarize while the collector is electronically collecting the verbal sounds.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows or may be learned by those skilled in the art through reading these materials or practicing the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be achieved through the means recited in the attached claims.
To achieve these stated and other objects, the present invention may be embodied and described as set forth in the claims.